April 20, 2023
Interesting facts about Sweden
Coming to a new country is a whole new experience in its own. We do get some culture shocks as well. Here, I share some interesting facts about Sweden, which I found to be very different than what I was used to.
1. Biking – most common way of transportation
Sweden is a great, bike-friendly country with an amazing developed network of bike paths in and around the cities. With such an amazing bike path network, it is safe as well. Getting a bike is fairly easy. There are market places like Facebook groups, telegram channels and offline stores where you can get second hand bikes at an affordable price.
2. Water from tap
Sweden has a reputation for being a clean and pollution-free country. The tap water in Sweden is perfectly safe to drink, sometimes it is even more safer than the ‘bottled water’. For me it was very odd initially, and one of my major shocks after coming here. However, It is also suggested to not drink the warm water directly from tap.
3. Swedish winter 
I am not a big fan of great winters, however, watching snowfall was one of my biggest dreams. Swedish winters are not just about temperature. It can be very demotivating to look at the grey sky all the time. I found it extremely difficult to wake up in the morning. I also struggled to be productive during the day. So staying active is very important and this can be done through indoor activities, taking vitamin pills, and others. My best suggestion will be to go out and enjoy the beautiful wonderland of Sweden, rather than just watching it from your windows.
4. Plan using week number
Swedes use week number to plan everything. This is the very system that Swedes use for planning, organizing, and communicating in both professional and personal life. If we think November, we immediately get an image of what weather would it be. Swedes can easily imagine the icy winds of week 6 and busy shopping streets of week 50. For me it is still confusing to plan using week numbers.
5. Personal information can be accessed online
The Swedish approach to privacy is certainly unique. In Sweden, the government and all state organizations follow the openness principle. Regulated by the freedom of press regulation, it says that all public records have to be documented and made accessible to anyone. If you live in Sweden, anyone can see your full name, complete address, phone number, relationship status, date of birth, if you own any house or vehicle, how much tax do you pay and many other information. It sounded very scary to me initially, but it is what it is.
I hope you enjoyed reading.
// Abhijeet
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